


Cupid Painted Blind

by TheLamianArtist



Series: A Grand Misadventure [1]
Category: The Misadventures of Tallulah Casey
Genre: F/M, Ficlets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2019-08-03 11:27:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16325330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLamianArtist/pseuds/TheLamianArtist
Summary: A collection of ficlets and self-indulgent meta for the Tallulah Casey Series.





	1. Musings on unnamed feelings

**Author's Note:**

> This is more for myself than anyone else, and it has a lot of my personal headcanons and such in it.

He's not sure when these feelings started. It's never been this way with any of the other girls he's fancied - though it started with the same vague interest in the way she looked that it did every other time. She was different, in a superficial way, to the local girls, standing almost as tall as he did (though she was so skinny it looked like the slightest wind would knock her over). When she turned him down, he thought the attraction would fade like it had every time before, with the girls who went with him and he girls who ignored him.  
But it didn't. The attraction only grew with time, and somewhere along the way it stopped being so shallow. He's afraid to call it what it is. She's so easy to be himself around, he feels free to tell her things that he doesn't really talk to anyone else about. With her, there's no expectation of him to be anything.  
He can just _be_. 

And oh, it hurt when she chose that Charlie bloke over him, it hurt so much (but he should have been expecting it), but he can see that they're not going to last long.

(He's seen Charlie hanging around with other girls, you don't do that in a relationship you want to last)  
(Cain has never wanted a relationship to last)


	2. Of Little Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Older siblings think about their baby siblings ~~and having to raise them when their parents fail~~.

For Tallulah, it's awful having to be home. When she's at home, her mum makes her responsible for Connor (it's so difficult to deal with someone so antagonistic towards you when you're the one cleaning up their messes). Tallulah and Connor have never gotten along all that well, and this toxic mess of familial bonds and mutual loathing is only larger for the fact that their mother leaves them with Grandma Cairrean, who has dementia and really should go somewhere with people equipped to help her (not be left with two kids to look after ~~though Tallulah thinks that maybe her mum's making her responsible for Grandma too, but you're not supposed to say that out loud~~ ).  
It's hard to be a mother at the age of nine when you're looking after a six year old, and harder still at fourteen when your eleven year old brother hates you and you also have to take care of your grandmother (it was hardest just after dad left, when she was six and Connor was three and mum wasn't used to being a single mother yet).  
Caitlyn Casey really should have let her husband take the kids when they split (he'd take them now if he knew how Caitlyn was mothering them).  
Tallulah wants out, so when she sees a flyer for a boarding school in England, she signs up.

 

Reuben wouldn't describe his life as awful, but when his mum left (and almost took his baby nine year old brother with her) he suddenly had a lot more responsibility. Sure, dad did work around the house too, things that were too dangerous for an 11 year old, but he was the one responsible for making sure laundry was done, dishes were washed, taking the rubbish out, keeping the house tidy… he didn't realise how much work his mum did until she was gone. Because dad was so busy with work on the farm, Reuben had to make sure Seth and Cain got to school and stayed there, and also make them shower after they did their chores in the afternoon (he set them chores he thought would be easy enough for them, all Cain had to do was feed the chickens ~~how does he get so dirty doing that?~~ ). It feels like he's the one raising his brothers, not dad.  
He loves his little brothers, he really does, but sometimes Cain is just so _frustrating_. Puberty and peer pressure turned him into an idiot of magnificent proportions once he turned fourteen. He started "dating" girls and dropping them just as fast (at least Seth wasn't that bad). Honestly, Cain's really only doing it for attention, but dad doesn't care anymore (he hasn't since mum left, and no-one in this family knows what a healthy relationship looks like ~~Reuben just wishes Cain had chosen a method that didn't make all the girls in the village angry~~


	3. "Why are you always outside my window?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She just wants a nap. And maybe call Beverley out on her bullshit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a while because dialogue is hard when you're trying to work in Yorkshire dialect and also keep the flow natural.

It's late, and I've had enough of this. Cain and Beverley are arguing outside my bedroom, once again, and all I want is to _sleep._ They're arguing over Cain's latest song - another load of white noise and complaining - and what a surprise, she's threatening to kill herself again. Honestly, this is the last straw. I open my window and butt in.

"Beverley, did you know you're abusive?"

I've obviously shocked her, because she freezes for a moment and rapidly flushes red.

"I'm what?" she squawks once she gets over the initial shock.

A mean smile crosses my face and I lean a little further out of my window.  "You're an abusive bitch, Beverley, and you get away with it because it all has to be Cain's fault,"

"I don't - what? I don't get what you're saying and you better stop accusing me of abuse because you're wrong!" Beverley has gone from shock to rage now, and her face keeps getting redder.

"I'm saying that the way you treat him is emotionally abusive. You constantly threaten to kill yourself, and the fact that he doesn't care anymore is your fault! You've basically killed him, and all you care about is yourself! You told Ruby that you want to 'fix' him, to make him better, but that's not your choice. You don't change people, you take them as they are and if you don't like them as they are, you either suck it up and deal or leave!"

"I - You - Just shut up!" Beverley screams at me, and then stomps off.

Leaving Cain.

Ah.

He has a strange look on his face, a smile that's sort of a mixture between tired and melancholy.

"Her mam's gonna come after you next, you better play safe," Cain looked me directly in the eyes as he said this, still smiling that strange tired smile.

"I know, Beverley really doesn't take criticism, does she?" I rubbed my hand across my cheek and sighed. "Look, I'm really tired right now, can we continue this conversation another time?"

"You want to get rid of me that badly?" He looks away and scuffs his boot in the dirt.

"I'm serious, I have school tomorrow and I just want to sleep now. Find me after school tomorrow if you still want to talk," I pull myself in and start to shut the window.

"Goodnight, Cain,"

"…Goodnight."


	4. Charlie  the Swine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie really shouldn't talk shit about Cain.

It's kind of cold out today, But I have something important to do. I overheard Tilly talking about her weekend earlier, about a date she has planned. With Charlie. The Tree Sisters have decided to stay back because of the cold, but I'd already promised to see Charlie at lunch, and anyway, I want to talk to him.  
And there he is, leaning against the special tree.

"Hey Charlie, I heard something interesting earlier today, do you want me to tell you about it?" I'm smiling while I say this, I don't want him to know what's up yet. I wonder if he's paying enough attention to notice it isn't reaching my eyes, or if he's thinking about his date. He just grins that smug grin of his on his face and acts like everything is fine.

"Tilly was talking about her weekend plans, and I thought one of her plans sounded a little… off," he stiffened and paled as soon as I mentioned Tilly.  
"O-oh? What about her plans sounded funny?" he said. I could see he was panicking a bit, trying to see if he could salvage this.  
"She said she had a date planned. A date planned with you," I paused briefly. "But that must be wrong, mustn't it? I mean, I thought you and I were dating"  
"I - We are, Lullah, she's, uh, probably talking about a different Charlie, it isn't exactly a rare name"  
"I thought so too, at first, but then I mentioned her plans to you, and you _froze,_ " He wouldn't have frozen if he wasn't hiding something. 

"Just, uh, let me explain?" Swine. He thinks I'm dumb enough to fall for this again. Like last time, after he told me he couldn't be with me because he had a girlfriend and then continued flirting with Honey right in front of me.  
"No more explanations, I'm sick of this," I cross my arms and glare at him. "I'm done with you. You have more chances, and you better stay the hell away from me. I don't care if my mates are dating yours, I never want to see you again and I promise I will make you regret it if you show your face around my mates ever again. Are we clear?" This is what finally unfreezes him.  
"You can't be serious, Jack and Phil and Ben are always around your mates!" I've royally pissed him off now, but I don't care.  
"So I guess you'd best get used to seeing them less often at lunch, then, but I guess you can always spend time with _Tilly,_ " I turn around and readjust the collar of my coat. "Goodbye, Charlie, and I hope this is the last time I have to say it"

I begin walking back to school. 

"Next time I won't be so nice," I mutter.


	5. Oh Honey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tallulah realises some things about herself, and immediately tells Vaisey.

Honey is so sweet, with her thick honey-gold hair, and her honey-tanned skin, and her everything… Honey is just so, so pretty. She's so utterly beautiful that when I look at her my tummy goes all fluttery. In a platonic way. Definitely platonic. I mean, I'm straight, yeah? I like boys, like Alex, and Charlie, and… let's stop there.

Honey is beautiful and I can appreciate her beauty platonically, can't I? I just happen to also feel a little happier and fuzzier when she's around sometimes. Kind of like I do around Alex. It's normal to feel happier around your friends, isn't it? Okay, so maybe I think about her smoothy curviness more than necessary, but that doesn't make me, um, not straight, does it? Honey is just that pretty, with her goldy hazel eyes and the way her hair falls around her shoulders… and maybe I'm not as straight as I thought. I think I might be Bi.

… Should I tell anyone about this? Can I tell anyone about this? If I tell mum she'll either tell me I'm confused or worse, tell me a story about her youth I'll want to forget. Dad's off exploring the wilderness and looking for rare animals, so he's not even here to tell. I don't think I can let Flossie or Jo know because they're awful at keeping secrets, and I don't want everyone at school or in town to know. I absolutely can't tell Honey even if she is easier to contact than dad, she'll ask questions I don't want to answer. Vaisey, maybe? She feels like the best person to tell. I hope she's better about keeping secrets.

I'd ask why she didn't tell me, but we've only known each other for a few months, and it's a big thing to say. But now I know I'm not alone in our friend group. I already feel awkward and out of place in Heckmondwite, realising I'm Bi and not having anyone I could talk to about it would make me feel even more isolated. The Dobbins try their best to make me feel welcome but they're so genuine and enthusiastic and I just feel kind of bleh. I feel like I have to put on a cheerier mask around them and pretend to be someone I'm not.

I think this is enough introspection for today. I might walk down to the shops, maybe get some moodier makeup. I have a fair bit of money saved up, I didn't exactly spend much money while I was at school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been meaning to get this finished for AGES. Also I added a playlist to the other fic, Jo's is up now. Still need to Art the others.
> 
> I have birthdays set up for the Tree Sisters, the Hinchcliff brothers, and Alex, as well as a calendar from 2015 to 2017 set out for this verse. I have so many vague, nebulous ideas and plans, I just have trouble fleshing them out and getting them down. Going by the English School Term calender I found from 2015, this takes place during the first proper holidays of the year. The first book is set at the end of the school year, and I put the second and third as either side of the term break of the first semester.
> 
> I HC Jo as the token straight friend of the tree sisters, Lullah/Flossie/Vaisey as Bi, and Honey as Pan and either Poly or Aromantic, possibly both. I end up having a serious Poly ship in every fandom I'm in, does this say something about me?


End file.
